As The Times-Gazette celebrates its 200th anniversary, we’ll take a look back each Saturday at some of the important, interesting or even odd events as they were reported during the same week throughout the years, along with interesting advertising features from back in the day.

This week in 1870, the Highland Weekly News published a letter to the editor from a former Buford resident who had left Highland County in 1857 for “the West,” and settled in Kansas.

The letter, penned by one A.J. Evans, described life as a settler in the state. Evans wrote about how Kansas recognized itself as a “free” state in 1860 during national dialogue on slavery, and later experienced an influx of immigrants who struggled to make ends meet when a drought plagued the land.

From the front page: “What sort of an economist is the man who chews $10 worth of tobacco in a year, and stops his newspaper because he cannot afford to pay for it?”

Submitted death notices were free. Obituaries cost five cents per line of eight words.

A medical article written by a local doctor offered a lengthy and colorful description of the common cold: “Many times the nostrils are closed, and the sufferer is obliged to breath with the mouth open. Upon rising in the morning, a great effort is required to clear the head and throat.”

Another medical article, which did not appear to be written by a doctor, said the secrets to a woman’s beauty were “proper food and drink… air and sunlight… sufficient exercise, rest and sleep… an agreeable temperature… perfect cleanliness.”

A letter from Salem Township, signed “Yours, Ventilator,” gave religion news from the Salem area.

Judge Safford of Highland County Common Pleas Court defended his decision to hold court on Sunday after a local reverend issued a letter lambasting him for desecrating the Sabbath.

“The judge takes occasion to say that no man has a higher reverence for the precepts and practices of the Christian religion than himself,” the article said.

A letter from a correspondent in Buford said the town was “pretty well supplied with the various kinds of business.”

“In fact,” the author added, “we don’t want for anything when we have money to buy with.”

This week in 1946, the Greenfield Daily Times (advertised as Highland County’s only daily newspaper) reported that President Harry Truman and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill were expected to travel through Greenfield on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad en route from Washington, D.C. to St. Louis.

The Daily Times reported former Greenfield resident and 1924 McClain High School graduate Charles Russell Irvine helped design the Vultee XP-81, a jet fighter used in combat.

A Leesburg veteran and his “war bride” were listed as passengers on the SS Ericson, which was scheduled to sail home from England later in the month.

Firemen responded to the Cohen junkyard on Smith Street to extinguish a truck fire. Defective wiring was ruled the cause.

Clinton County was expected to gain 2,000 to 3,000 new residents due to airport development at the Clinton County Army Air Field.

The Ohio Attorney General announced hunters could track and kill foxes at any time, including Sundays.

Kroger advertised a set of two silver spoons for 25 cents to help build a collection.

Orange juice was 39 cents, and grapefruit juice was 27 cents. Both were sold in cans.

A Greenfield man was slapped with a $10 fine for taking a bag of peanuts from Albers Market in Washington Court House.

A daily “Bible Thought” appeared regularly on Page 2.

This week in 1971, The Hillsboro Press-Gazette reported 90 Chihuahuas were killed in a house fire near Buford. The home, which was a breeding operation, was owned by a Mr. and Mrs. Pugh.

A second safe-cracking job in three days resulted in the loss of $250 at the Sears and Roebuck store on West Main Street in Hillsboro. In the first robbery, thieves took an estimated $900 from Boone’s Sohio station on North High Street.

A third safe-cracking, this one unsuccessful, was uncovered by police in at Whiteoak High School in Mowrystown.

A Huffy five-horsepower tiller was advertised for $169 at Edwards Discount on North High Street in Hillsboro. Other selections included a 50-foot garden hose for 79 cents, a two-cell flashlight for 69 cents, china cups for 10 cents apiece, and Valvoline motor oil for 39 cents per quart.

The Buckeye Drive-In on Chillicothe Pike advertised sandwiches, French fries, root beer and hot coffee. Sundaes were 19 cents.

Jim and Howard Fettro’s farm on SR 124 was set to be one of four stops on a pasture tour.

A thought from the opinion page: “To get rich, amuse the people; to stand alone, know something; to be feared, be above reproach.”

A letter from Mrs. Guy Dyer of Hillsboro said putting up bleachers at the fairgrounds would be “the most needed improvement for this year.”

The Cincinnati Bengals basketball team – not the football team – was slated to play in Hillsboro against a Hillsboro High School faculty team. Tickets were $1.50.

The 1970 census revealed 64 percent of Highland County residents lived in rural areas. The total population of the county was 28,996, down 2.4 percent from the 1960 figure of 29,716.

Various patients listed in hospital news suffered from a variety of bumps and bruises, including an injured left foot, a hand laceration, an injured arm, an injured head and miscellaneous injuries from a mini-bike accident.

This week in 2000, The Times-Gazette reported two Highland County children who had gone missing were recovered three hours later sleeping in the basement of a house one mile from their home.

A sewer line failure in Hillsboro prompted a special council meeting to increase appropriations in the sewer repair and maintenance fund.

Bones discovered on Deer Park Road in Eastern Highland County were believed to be Native American, and at least 1,000 years old.

Emma Joanne Lerch was born on Leap Day at Highland District Hospital.

In sports, the Lynchburg-Clay Lady Mustangs ended their tournament run in a district semifinal against Alexander, 52-31. The McClain Tigers cruised to a district final with a 67-43 win against Alexander.

A front-page feature told the “war stories” of local veterinarians. David Lippert, a Lynchburg vet, said he had treated everything from “pocket pets” to horses, but never anything cold-blooded.

“I don’t feel comfortable,” treating reptiles, he said.

Dwight “Ike” Hodson sought his fourth term as county recorder. Hodson, now the Highland County Clerk of Courts, said it was “hard to imagine what technological advances will take place” in the coming years, and added that the recorder’s office would soon begin putting records on the internet.

Twenty eight percent of Greenfield residents said theft, alcohol and drugs were the greatest threats in the City of Greenfield, according to a police survey. Sixty two percent said the police department was doing a “good job” fighting crime, and 64 percent said they were “very satisfied” with the police department’s response times.

Reach David Wright at 937-402-27570, or on Twitter @DavidWrighter.